'Who's who?' Cadaoir asked as he stood on the highest balcony above the arena. It was a round stadium with a square fighting ring floating on sea water in the centre. It resembled a log raft with the top plained and sanded to a flat surface. The wooden stands that rounded the ring were empty, only the Monk and the Amaratese Captain were present.

Tori pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and began to read. 'You'll see a good range of armed and unarmed fighters, but these are the only competitors that you need worry about: Wolf, a Wrestler from Hurdland. She's been a thorn in the side of front line Amaratese forces for a long time now. Very good against armed opponents, specialising in urban combat.

'Captain Deluge. A powerful Spear-man from Hattsu, he's been one of our foremost fighters against Hurdland invaders at our coasts.

'Auryon. He's the leader of the Black Foot Company, one of our best. He pushed back Hurdland during the recent battle on The Sands alongside Princess Ashara. He's a Duellist, he'll have particular advantages against you.

'Li Tsun. An as of yet undefeated Scrapper from The City of Light, he's a prize fighter this one, defeating everyone the Fighting Pits of Hurdland and the Fire Pits of Amaratsu have thrown at him.

'Then there is Sir Daniels, a western Knight who from what I've heard, has been a pain in the backside of Churash during their battles on Slug Island. This one is supposedly a one man army, though I doubt the testimony of Churashi ground fighters, they're a lousy bunch.' He placed the paper back into his pocket.

'That's all of the major competitors?' Cadaoir seemed rather unmoved by the details. A mix of weapon users and unarmed fighters.

'Indeed. The rest are pushovers for you, if your reputation is accurate.' Tori smiled.

'What about this Fisher? The man who has your sword. Will he pose a problem if I face him?'

'When.' Tori corrected. 'When you face him. There are competitors from the Amaratese military, all of whom I outrank considerably, that will take an impressive dive on my order, making Fisher the winner of their matches, allowing him to proceed to the next bracket.'

'If they will so adhere to your commands, why not have the sword won by them?'

Tori scoffed. 'They would not be able to win so easily, but on the off chance that they could, they aren't obligated to give up their winnings. Also, this is a private matter, and I would like it to stay that way.'

'OK, then what about those who will not lose on your whims?'

'I can deal with those types too.'

'How?'

'The fighters will accept money, I'm sure. Bribes are a way of life for many of them-'

'And the honourable, those who will not take bribes?'

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'Honour is a myth, honour has never existed where men kill. However, in that unlikely circumstance, people not accepting my offers will find themselves truly enfeebled when the time comes. Fisher will win.'

Cadaoir disliked this completely. It was cheating. 'Tori.' He said.

'Yes?'

Cadaoir leant on the hand rail, looking down onto the arena below from the high balcony. 'This goes against everything I believe in, do you understand that?' His hands clenched tightly around the wooden bar.

'But it's going to pay for itself, I'm taking you south for free. In luxury no less.'

'No, I will not do this unless you adjust your plan.'

'I won't be adjusti-'

'Then you won't have me.' Cadaoir waved the man away. 'Goodbye.'

'Do not walk away, Monk. You have made this deal, if you break it, I will enact a toll.' Tori was quietly furious.

Cadaoir said nothing. You will change your plan, you can't risk anyone else failing to get your sword. He gave no sign of changing his mind.

Tori watched him for a time and then took a breath. 'Very well, Cadaoir.' His desperation was evident. 'What do you want?'

'Make it so I fight Fisher in the first round. You will only need to bribe one person for this, no?'

'Only one, yes. But bribing officials is much less desirable than bribing competitors. They're usually a lot more connected to government and it could be seen as an insult.'

'It's been my experience that officials are rather muted when it comes to talking about the handouts they receive.'

'You speak from experience?' Asked Tori.

'You could say that I led a different life before becoming a Monk.' Cadaoir cracked his knuckles.

'Indeed.' Tori understood the underlying context. 'However the risk is great, my gold was minted in Amaratsu, it is somewhat traceable. I would rather not be embroiled in a scandal between the Churashi and our navy. Bribing the fighters is still the safer option, it's almost expected.'

'If you do not want to take the risk with your own money, then use mine.' Cadaoir brushed his white hair back as it slumped over his face. 'I have enough unmarked gold to make anyone happy. Have some lackey make the deal and there should be no money trail leading to you. You also make no loss. Anything spent I can earn back during the tournament.'

'Why?' Asked Tori. 'Why take the risk when I can ensure you face Fisher my way?'

'Fisher is nothing to me, from what you say of him I could finish him with a glance. The others? I want to fight the others, I want to beat the others. I want to know how far I've come, I want to know if the best this tournament has to offer are enough to best me.' He was impassioned. 'You will get your sword, I will get my challenge.'

Tori thought about it. He nodded. 'OK, I can do this for you. For both of us. You just ensure that you get that sword.'

Cadaoir turned back to the ledge and took in the sight of the arena. The open top showed blue sky and white clouds above. He smiled. 'Done.'

'It starts tomorrow, are you prepared?'

'I will be. I'm going to take tonight to train and meditate. I will be ready.'

'Where are you going to train? The city has no facilities large enough besides the Soldier Academy.'

'My way exists in two worlds, Tori. This world and another.' Cadaoir looked to his periphery, to the white bar in the left of his vision. 'You will see me tomorrow, after my training.' He then fell to white glitter, logging off.